"Trying to spread a fake narrative": Maharashtra Dy CM Shinde hits back at Rahul Gandhi over 'rigging' claim

Thane (Maharashtra) [India], June 7 (ANI): Amid political uproar following Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's recent allegation claiming the November 2024 Maharashtra assembly election was "rigged", Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday hit back at the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, accusing him of trying to spread a "fake narrative" about the polls.
Speaking to reporters in Thane, Shinde dismissed Rahul Gandhi's claims of electoral rigging and EVM tampering as baseless, pointing out that Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, of which the Congress is a part, was silent during their Lok Sabha 2024 election wins, where they bagged 30 out of the 48 seats in the state.
Shinde asserted that the people of Maharashtra were intelligent and would reject such tactics in any upcoming election.
"In the Lok Sabha elections, when Maha Vikas Aghadi won the elections in Maharashtra, they did not say anything. At that time, the EVMs and ECI were right... They are now trying to spread a fake narrative that the voting percentage has been increased, EVMs are rigged, or the EC is wrong," the Maharashtra Deputy CM said.
He added, "But the people of Maharashtra are intelligent; they understand which government works for them and which government sits at home... The public of Maharashtra will teach them a lesson in the upcoming elections."
Earlier on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi shared an article he authored, alleging the Maharashtra Assembly elections held last year were "rigged", and claimed that similar tactics could be repeated in the Bihar elections due later this year.
"Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. My article shows how this happened, step by step," Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X.
In his article, he outlined a five-point process, claiming: Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission; Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll; Step 3: Inflate voter turnout; Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where the BJP needs to win; Step 5: Hide the evidence.
Calling it "match-fixing", Gandhi said that the side cheats might win the game but damage institutions and destroy public faith in the result.
"It's not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing; the side that cheats might win the game, but will damage institutions and destroy public faith in the result. All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers," he said.
He warned that the "match-fixing" of Maharashtra would come to Bihar next, where the polls are due later this year, and then "anywhere" the BJP was losing elections. "Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy," he added. (ANI)